This invention relates in general to adjustable seats and in particular to vehicle seats whose position may be adjusted fore and aft.
Vehicles, such as passenger cars, typically include seats for the use of a driver and other occupants. In many vehicles, the position of the seats may be adjusted for the comfort of the driver or the occupant. The options to adjust the position of a seat typically include the ability to move the seat fore and aft.
Some vehicles include the option of moving the seats in the first row in order to facilitate access to the second row. This is known as an easy entry option and is commonly seen in two-door vehicles having a front row of seats and a second row of seats located behind the front row. The easy entry option allows the generally upright back portion of the front row seat to be pivoted from its normal use position to a more forward position in order to facilitate access to the space behind the seat. Additionally, the entire seat may be unlocked so that it may be moved forward. Often, the seat is moved to its most forward position. This allows a person to more easily gain access to the space located behind the seat to sit in the second row of seats. After the person is seated in the second row of seats, the seat back of the front row seat may be raised to its normal use position, and the front row seat may be moved rearwardly from its most forward position. Some conventional front row seats include a spring mechanism to bias the front seat in its most forward position when the easy entry feature is used to prevent the front row seat from inadvertently moving rearwardly while the second row passenger is entering or exiting the vehicle.